Pacific Northwestern EDM favorite Robert DeLong makes a return to Philly tonight at Boot and Saddle. Crafting a variety of alluring beats and textures, DeLong also makes an engaging frontman. He’s not the sort of DJ to holler at you between bass drops from behind an LED wall, he steps to the front of the stage, works the crowd with a quirky, Spike Jonze-ish persona, and pulls a few unique tricks from up his sleeve – like using old video game controllers to modify and modulate his songs. Tickets and information on the show can be found at the XPN Concert Calendar. Continue reading →

The first time I heard King Britt was over the sound system of the HMV on Walnut Street back in 2001. I knew of him via City Paper and Philadelphia Weekly stories about Back2Basics, the party he and DJ Dozia threw at Silk City (which I was never cool enough to attend). The song coming from the speakers was “Happiness” featuring Lady Alma, and it blew me away. I immediately walked over to the Dance section, found the album under his moniker of Sylk-130 titled Re-Members Only” and skimmed the track list and collaborators: Alison Moyet, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Kathy Sledge, Grover Washington Jr.

It was a love letter to sitting at home on a Saturday night and listening to stations like Power 99 who, back in the 80’s, would play everything from quiet storm to rap to Madonna. It’s an album that still is miles beyond most in capturing that time for listeners who missed out.

King Britt & Dozia’s Back2Basic’s Reunion takes place tonight at Hard Rock Cafe. A revival of the legendary Philly nightclub night, the event hosts both live musicians as well as DJs, allowing for a genre-bending night of frenzy. Started in 1990, the event hosted names like ?uestlove, James Poyser and more. The man behind the project is Britt, who was also a part of the venerable Digable Planets and other projects. In his interview with the Key’s Sameer Rao, Britt explained the motivation behind the reunion as “We thought it would be good to do this as a reunion, but also as a reminder that this [mixing different genres] is possible”. He then went on to emphasize that the event is “not just partying…it’s existential.” Check out this video of King Britt and The Back 2 Basics Band perform live at Silk City below. Get more details about the show at the XPN Concert Calendar. Continue reading →

Let’s get something out of the way: it’s really easy to make plays on King Britt’s name. The king is back! Long live the king! Even the title of this piece was painstakingly chosen after a lot of agony over what would be slightly witty without being superfluously cheesy (you can argue about whether or not this was successful in the comments).

Still, the man whose official documents read “King James Britt” has left a legacy for which such comical proclamations are actually quite accurate. For over two decades, the 40-something DJ and Philly native has commanded a tiny kingdom of rabid followers through a variety of beloved and critically lauded endeavors. For these fans, which endeavor they care about the most says a tremendous amount about who they are. Perhaps they were drawn to Britt’s multi-year tenure with the bi-costal hip-hop institution Digable Planets, where his genre-mixing aesthetic slant sat effortlessly with the Plantes’ Afro-centric, laid-back brand of quiet innovation.

Some might’ve instead been captivated by Britt’s unquenchable experimental and avant garde tendencies, manifest in numerous groundbreaking and headscratchingly trippy side projects; these projects have propelled him to a very different kind of recognition, garnering him Pew and NEA grants and putting him on stage at places like TEDxPhilly and the Institute of Contemporary Arts. Continue reading →

Pitchfork Advance is streaming King Britt’s new Fhloston Paradigm album, The Phoenix. Drawing inspiration from his love of science fiction movies like Blade Runner and The Fifth Element (where the name of the project comes from), Sun Ra, funk, and Afrofuturism, Britt has created a soundtrack to an imaginary motion picture, filled with moody, synthesized soundscapes, with contributions by Marlo Reynolds, and vocalists Rachel Claudio, Pia Ercole, and Natasha Kmeto.

In other King Britt/Fhloston Paradigm news, listen to their contribution to the new Red Hot + Bach album below. Featuring classical vocalist Pia Ercole, they perform “Ave Maria” and was inspired by the late Sixties Moog synth collection of Bach compositions Switched On Bach, by Wendy Carlos.

King Britt performs at Union Transfer on July 12th with Nightmares On Wax and on July 14th at Johnny Brenda’s.

A tribute to the jazz musician Sun Ra curated by King Britt and choreographer/visual artist Kate Watson-Wallace will take place at Fringe Arts on Friday, June 6. The event is a live improvisational “re-contextualization” of Sun Ra’s music featuring Tendai Maraire of Shabazz Palaces on percussion, Vernon Reid of Living Color on guitar, King Britt on beats and electronics, Anthony Tidd on bass, vocalist Imani Izuri, and Marlo Reynolds on keyboards. Live video will be provided by Jason Senk and “movement” by Jaamil Olawale Kosoko of Philadiction Movement. The event, says King Britt, is the first of several that “music/multidimensional events” that the Fringe is presenting in its new space.

The jazz musician, originally from Birmingham, Alabama, relocated to the Germantown section of Philadelphia in 1968 where he resided until his death in 1993. King Britt came up with the idea of a tribute to Sun Ra since it was close to Sun Ra’s birthday. “I suggested we do a tribute to him by creating a beautiful ensemble of music, video and dance,” Britt told me in an e-mail. “Everyone involved has been touched by Ra and his legacy. Sun Ra always embraced the art of improvisation within a construct of his compositions. He also embraced technology and used it in a way that propelled the music to new places.”

“We felt that everyone involved would be comfortable in this context and non obvious samples and loops, from some of Sun Ra’s improvs, will steer the direction of the journey,” said Britt. “Everyone involved, including video, which will be mixed live, are all very good improvisors and it will be a one time only experience. This is event is important because it will bridge the gap between generations. A lot of the older Sun Ra fans will love to witness a new spin on his legacy and the young fans who have come to know Sonny, through samples, hip hop and alternative music, will get to learn a bit of the history through multidisciplinary lenses.”

Go here for tickets and more information about the show. Below, check out a documentary about Sun Ra by film maker Robert Mugge, A Joyful Noise.

KAWS @ PAFA features both indoor and outdoor works including a new 9-foot sculpture outside and over 60 paintings and sculptures installed in the galleries of the PAFA. The opening reception and preview party is this Friday. October 11th at 8 p.m. at Lenfest Plaza at PAFA. Providing the soundtrack for the event are King Britt, Dave P. of Making Time and Cosmo Baker. Go here for tickets and more information. Below, sample a taste of Cosmo Baker’s Top Ten mix.

A cool sonic treat showed up care of King Britt this weekend; his new Sexytech Mix #1, a 71-minute continuous mix of swift beats, keyboard loops, alluring hooks and smooth vibes galore. It’s “the first in my series of sexy techno faves that I have come to love,” King writes. “No tracklistings…just listening…..” And while the no-tracklisting element comes to the dismay of some Soundcloud commenters – these are evidently some deep deep tracks here, reworked and blended imaginatively as only King Britt can – it is a perfect collection to switch on and zone out. Listen to Sexytech Mix #1 below, download it over at Soundcloud.

Mayer Hawthorne and King Britt are doing DJ sets at the Hard Rock Cafe this Saturday night, August 3rd. Hawthorne plays at Musikfest this Saturday and will headline Union Transfer on September 10. This Friday night, August 2nd, King Britt will be “re-contextualizing” the classic film, The Brother From Another Planet, in collaboration with the Blackstar Film Festival. Go here for more information about the event at Johnny Brenda’s.

Go here for tickets to dance the night away with King Britt and Mayer Hawthorne.

About The Key

Philadelphia: Home to a rich musical history, a unique musical identity, and one of the nation's most thriving musical communities. In a scene filled with so many local bands worth listening to, there will always be new music to discover—and The Key is your source for finding it. Brought to you by WXPN—the non-commercial public radio station that World Cafe, XPN2, and XPoNential Music Festival call home—The Key covers all local music in Greater Philly and beyond.GET IN TOUCH

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About The Key

Philadelphia: Home to a rich musical history, a unique musical identity, and one of the nation's most thriving musical communities. In a scene filled with so many local bands worth listening to, there will always be new music to discover—and The Key is your source for finding it. Brought to you by WXPN—the non-commercial public radio station that World Cafe, XPN2, and XPoNential Music Festival call home—The Key covers all local music in Greater Philly and beyond.GET IN TOUCH